Etymology

Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, documented the earliest account pertaining to the inhabitants of the Peninsula around the mid-first century AD, referring to them as the Catharrei, a designation which may have derived from the name of a prominent local settlement.[30][31] A century later, Ptolemy produced the first known map to depict the peninsula, referring to it as Catara.[31][32] The map also referenced a town named "Cadara" to the east of the peninsula.[33] The term 'Catara' (inhabitants, Cataraei)[34] was exclusively used until the 18th century, after which 'Katara' emerged as the most commonly recognised spelling.[33] Eventually, the modern derivative Qatar was adopted as the country's name.[33]